NFL odds: Offensive Player of the Year odds, best bets

Did you know that a quarterback has been named the NFL's Most Valuable Player 14 of the past 15 seasons, but a QB was voted the Offensive Player of the Year only six times since 1996?

Make sense? It does when you consider the Offensive Player of the Year award was created to try to honor non-QBs.

Here's everything you need from a betting perspective on the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, with insights from our betting expert (all NFL odds via FOX Bet).

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"They sometimes seem like the same award, but the two are technically different," FOX Sports NFL writer Eric Williams said. "The Offensive Player of the Year is awarded to the offensive player with the most outstanding season.

"In theory, the MVP award is open to all players from any position but has basically become the Most Valuable Quarterback Award of late."

Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp was voted Offensive Player of the Year after his monster 2021 season when he became the fourth player to lead the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16) in the same season. The stud WR was also named MVP of Super Bowl LVI.

Will Kupp win OPOY again? He's the betting favorite at FOX Bet heading into the season.

ODDS FOR 2022 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR (at FOX Bet) *

* = as of 8/9/2022

While Kupp is a stud, Williams likes a non-QB to win OPOY in 2022 – Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who led the NFL in rushing years (1,811) and rushing touchdowns (18) last season. Taylor won the rushing title by 552 yards, the first time an RB won it by more than 500 yards since O.J. Simpson in 1973.

Taylor also led the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,171), 100-yard rushing games (10) and runs that produced a first down (107) in 2021. Taylor had at least 100 yards from scrimmage and at least one rushing TD in eight consecutive games, tying an NFL record.

And there are plenty of treads left on the tires – Taylor, 23, is the youngest player in NFL history with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards (2,171) and 20 TDs in a single season

"With Matthew Stafford suffering through training camp with a sore elbow, it’s hard to see Kupp winning again," Williams said.

"That's why I’ll go with Jonathan Taylor to supplant Kupp this year for Offensive Player of the Year."

PICK: Jonathan Taylor (+900 at FOX Bet, bet $10 to win $100 total) to win OPOY

Four of the previous five OPOY winners were not quarterbacks (two running backs, two receivers). The past nine MVPs have been quarterbacks, with running back Adrian Peterson winning the award in 2012.

In four of the past nine seasons, the quarterback who won NFL MVP also won OPOY. The last player to win MVP and OPOY in the same season was Mahomes in 2018.

The best example of how there are different criteria for the awards was in the 2011 season. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers won the first of his four MVP awards; Saints QB Drew Brees won the OPOY.

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Here are some voting oddities for MVP and OPOY from FOX Sports Research:

– After his dominant season, Kupp received one vote for MVP, finishing third in voting behind Rodgers (39 votes) and Tom Brady (10).

– Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was the unanimous NFL MVP in 2019 but finished second in the OPOY balloting behind Saints receiver Michael Thomas.

– Since the OPOY was created in 1972, a running back has won the award 26 times and a QB has won 20 times.

– Jerry Rice (1987, 1993), Thomas (2019) and Kupp (2021) are the only WRs to win OPOY.

– The OPOY has also won MVP the same season 28 times since 1972.

– Team with the most OPOY winners? The Rams with six (RB Eric Dickerson in 1986, RB Marshall Faulk from 1999-2001, RB Todd Gurley in 2017 and Kupp in 2021).

– Since 2010, six players won OPOY and MVP in the same season: Tom Brady in 2010, Peterson in 2012, Peyton Manning in 2013, Cam Newton in 2015, Matt Ryan in 2016 and Mahomes in 2018.

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Are you ready to back a player for Offensive Player of the Year? If so, head over to FOX Bet for all your wagers.

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